


Crying Shame

by Spacecadet72



Series: If You're Not the One [11]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), F/M, Marriage of Convenience
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-09
Updated: 2018-04-09
Packaged: 2019-04-20 19:07:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,215
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14267625
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Spacecadet72/pseuds/Spacecadet72
Summary: Chat walks in on Marinette crying and questions whether their marriage is a good idea.





	Crying Shame

**Author's Note:**

> As promised, some angst. These two have had it too good for too long. 
> 
> This is set right at the very end before everything falls apart.

Marinette managed to keep the tears at bay until she was inside her apartment. Once the door shut behind her, she couldn't hold it in anymore and the tears began to fall.

She dropped her bag by the door and stumbled to the couch, her vision obscured by tears.

Collapsing on the couch, she let out another sob, burying her face in her hands. She was just so confused and overwhelmed. What was she supposed to do? She never imagined having feelings for her husband would be such a cause for grief.

“Princess?”

Marinette’s head snapped up and as she saw Chat standing just inside the window, she swiped at her eyes as if he might somehow not realize that she had been bawling her eyes out. The soft and concerned look on his face let her know that she wasn’t that lucky.

“What’s wrong?” he asked, joining her on the couch, hovering next to her.

Marinette shook her head. “It’s nothing, I’m fine.”

Chat frowned. “You don’t look fine.”

Marinette didn’t say anything, not wanting to tell him that he was the reason. Him and this arrangement of theirs.

“Do you want to talk about it?” Chat asked, sounding so sweet and tender that Marinette almost started to cry again.

She shook her head. “Can--can you just hold me?” she asked, knowing this wasn’t a good idea, but knowing she was too weak to resist.

Chat nodded and scooped her up in his arms, placing her in his lap as he leaned back on the couch.

He rubbed his hand back and forth soothingly on her back. This time, Marinette couldn’t stop the tears, and he whispered comforting nothings as he rocked her back and forth. This is what she wanted, this closeness and tenderness, but she wanted it to be real, and she knew that wasn’t going to happen.

Why had she thought saying yes to his proposal was a good idea? Now she was stuck with unrequited feelings which she couldn't put on Chat. It wouldn't be fair to him when all he'd wanted was a shield from people with feelings he couldn't return.

She had entertained the idea of revealing her identity to him. He had been in love with Ladybug, and maybe, they could make it work. But now, she wasn’t so sure he still loved Ladybug. And why should he? He’d been rejected for a decade, if he was still in love with her, that wasn’t faithfulness, that was just unfortunate.

After several minutes, her tears slowed and finally stopped. She took in big, shuddering breaths, willing herself to calm down.

"I'm sorry," she said, pulling back and moving out of his lap.

"You don't have to apologize, Marinette. I'm always here for you."

"Thank you," she said forcing herself to look up and meet his eyes.

"It was not problem," Chat said, still looking concerned. Normally, she loved spending time with him, but she couldn't deal with him looking at her like that all night.

He seemed to sense her discomfort. "Would you like to be left alone?"

She nodded, relieved that he understood. "I'm sorry to kick you out, but I just want to be alone right now."

"I understand, and I hope you feel better," he said, before leaning forward to kiss her softly on the forehead.

Her eyes fluttered shut and she had to force tears back at how much she wanted a simple forehead kiss to mean more than it did. Not trusting her voice, she simply nodded as he pulled back and got off the couch. A moment later, he was gone.

Marinette curled in on herself. Having to sit and watch him be worried about her didn't sound like a pleasant way to spend the evening, but now that he was gone, she felt his absence like a hole in her chest. She curled in on herself. Why did she ask him to go?

* * *

  
Chat landed quietly inside his apartment and released his transformation. "What am I doing, Plagg?"

"Hopefully getting me some cheese," Plagg said hovering near Adrien.

Adrien rolled his eyes, but walked into the kitchen.

"I'm serious, Plagg," he said as he grabbed a piece of cheese from his camembert stash and handed it to his kwami. "I love her and it kills me to see her hurting. I want to fix it, but what if...what if I'm the reason she was upset?" Adrien asked, getting at the fear that had been nagging at him for weeks.

"Why would she be crying over you?" Plagg ask around a mouthful of cheese, following Adrien as he left the kitchen.

"Because she realizes just what she's given up by marrying me and doesn't want this life anymore?"

Plagg said nothing as he ate, but hovered near Adrien as if to give comfort by being close, leaving Adrien to his thoughts.

Adrien couldn't get the memory of a sobbing Marinette shaking and vulnerable in his arms out of his mind. He never should have asked her to marry him. What had he been thinking? It had been pure selfishness on his part. And he'd bribed her with money for her business, she'd probably felt like she couldn't say no.

He felt tears of his own fall down his cheeks.

"Oh, kid, no, don't cry," Plagg said, flying around him. "It'll be alright, you'll see."

Adrien shook his head, and the tears began to fall faster. "How can it be alright, Plagg? I've made a complete mess of things."

Plagg hovered around him, looking unsure of how to help as Adrien sank down on the couch and lowered his head, his shoulders shaking.

Adrien cried for the next several minutes, no superhero coming through the window to comfort him. Plagg settle in his hair, a comforting weight on the top of his head.

His tears eventually subsided, and he wiped at his eyes, knowing he must look like hell, still conditioned after all these years to worry about his appearance.

“What should I do?” he asked, his voice thick.

Plagg shifted on his head. “Maybe you should talk to her about what she wants.”

Adrien nodded his head gently. He had been avoiding that, afraid of what her answer might be. He had been content to keep to the routine they had established. Another example of his selfishness.

The image of Marinette crying popped into his mind and he knew he couldn’t put it off any longer.

Reaching for his Chat phone, he sent off a quick text. He knew he should wait until they were both calmer to ask for a time to meet, but he knew if he waited he might never send it.

_There’s something I need to talk to you about. When can we meet?_

Almost ten minutes passed and he thought maybe she had gone to bed early and he would have to wait until tomorrow to get a response when his phone beeped.

_I have something to talk about too, is tomorrow after work okay?_

Adrien sent off a message in the affirmative and tossed the phone on the other end of the couch, his stomach a roiling mess of nerves. He could already tell this was not a conversation he was going to like.

 


End file.
